Former Republican Massachusetts state Sen. Richard Tisei speaks to supporters in Wakefield, Mass., Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014, as he announces he will run for the state's 6th Congressional District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. John Tierney. Tisei is one of three openly gay Republicans nationwide expected to run in this year's midterm elections for Congress. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

“I don’t really feel comfortable being at a convention where the platform takes the party backward, rather than forward, as far as appealing to a large group of Massachusetts voters," Tisei said.

In an interview with HuffPost Live last month, Tisei admitted that the GOP has gone "astray" in recent years. But he also defended his affiliation with the party, saying that he believes in what it "traditionally stood for."

"Most people recognize that down in Washington, love of party is more important than love of country," Tisei said. "We need leaders in Washington who are willing to put the country first and that's what I want to be able to do."

<strong>What the 2012 Republican platform draft says:</strong> Republicans <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/content/gop-platform-spoiler-alert-no-exception-rape-incest-abortion-plank" target="_hplink">oppose</a> abortion in all cases with no exceptions for rape or incest.
<strong>Romney's position:</strong> Romney <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/huff-wires/20120821/us-gop-convention-platform/" target="_hplink">opposes</a> abortion but supports exceptions for rape and incest.
<strong>Obama's position:</strong> Obama <a href="http://www.vote-smart.org/npat.php?old=true&can_id=BS030017&npatform_id=69#0" target="_hplink">supports</a> the Democratic Party platform, which states that abortions should be legally available in accordance with Roe v. Wade.